Gone
by Rui
Summary: An alternative to the battle with Yugi. When things go wrong, just how much can one person learn the need of what is gone?


Pain seared in her throat, then quickly spread throughout her body in spider web tendrils of electricity. Hot, thick energy penetrated her soft skin, and left the stench of burning flesh in her nostrils. The enemy looked up at the space pirate, a dull light in her mystic blue eyes with a crooked smirk playing across her lipsticked lips.

"I commend you for your bravery, Ryoko." Yugi complimented in a dry tone. Dissolving the energy between her and Ryoko's throat, the enemy let out a mocking laugh as she watched the older woman plummet to the earth below.

All eyes left the intruder, and watched, helplessly, as their mortally wounded alley fell from the heavens, and landed on the ground with a sickening crack.

"RYOKO!" Mihoshi screamed, reaching out in vain towards her friend with her hand. Kiyone saw this, and grabbed onto her partner's wrist, restraining the blond from following in Ryoko's footsteps.

"Oh my God," Washuu breathed out. The three simple words were a blend of Prayer and exclamation.

Ryoko, lying bloody and broken, found breathing a very troubling thing to do. Thousands upon thousands of pinpricks spread into her lungs with each ragged breath, causing tears to dampen her rapidly aged face. With every heartbeat, the blood gathered in her throat, clogging up the airway—-another unpleasant factor of the victim's new breathing problem.

"A kid," Ryoko gurgled, "I was beaten by a kid." It was pathetic. It was a sad. It was effective.

Yugi's laughter ripped through the night like an angel's scream. The tones of grim triumph rung in the ears of the people around her, as the blond child watched one of her foes slip further into the darkness.

I'm sorry, Tenchi---I wasn't able to protect them...

* * *

_ "Tenchi," Ryoko started glomping onto her love's waist, and snuggling closer to him. "Why don't you come home?"_

_Tenchi Masaki sighed, pried the woman off of him, and stepped away from her. The various women who popped out from under his comforter acquainted his tiny apartment to the constant abuse from their jealous fits, but sometimes it felt like the walls trembled when Ryoko appeared._

_"Come on, Ryoko." Tenchi replied lamely, plopping down on the disarrayed bed. "Don't you realize how important this is to me?"_

_The pirate, who was now lounging on the only chair in the apartment, pouted. At that, the black haired man let a small smile trace his lips._

_"Of course I do!" She protested, crossing her arms and legs in one swift motion. "But I miss you! Come home!"_

_She sure can be selfish. Tenchi thought glumly._

_"I can't. I want to finish school here."_

_"But what if someone attacks the family and you're not around? What will we do then?" Figuring she had a strong argument, Ryoko kept adding to the list of possible reasons Tenchi had to be there. During part of the speech, she turned her head to the side; her nose went further in the air. While Ryoko brought up every point her mind handed her, her cat like eyes closed for effect, she never heard Tenchi move from his spot on the bed._

_"Ryoko," Masaki said tenderly, placing a hand on either side of her face. Gently making the cyan haired woman look at him crouching in front of the chair._

_At the sound of his voice, the pair of golden eyes snapped open, at Tenchi's touch, a pink blush spread over her cheeks. The dark brown eyes gazed up at her, strong emotions raging around within them._

_"T-Tenchi?"_

_"I know you're capable of taking care of them." He smiled a bit, "I'm trusting you to take care of all of our family till I come home, can you promise me you will?"_

_OUR?!Ryoko's mind screamed. The blush tinted to a darker shade of crimson, matching the heat of Tenchi's hands. As she stared at him, into the soft orbs of life and happiness, Ryoko's mind threw up its arms in defeat as her heart knew she could never deny this boy anything._

_"I—I promise."_

* * *

Tears trickled from her golden eyes once again, as death's dark garments started to edge around her vision. It felt there was a pea shaped hole for her to breathe through, not nearly enough for her to function or fight.

I made him a promise...With her heart firmly set, Ryoko closed her burning eyes. Tenchi, I can't do it alone. Help me---like you did before when you gave me humanity, gave me a home, purpose, and---love. Help me again, one last time.

* * *

"Tenchi?" Sakuya questioned gingerly as she realized Tenchi wasn't getting up from his position.

His hand stopped in mid motion, knees locked in their bent position as words, like whispers through a tree, invaded his mind. The jewel Tenchi had dropped began to glow, spears of pure white light sparkled in every direction. A scene of his home, a blond girl dressed in awkward attire, his family---terrified and hiding from the girl, and then Ryoko...

She was calling out to him, a desperate plea to help her fulfill the promise he asked her to keep.

"Ryoko," Masaki breathed out, watching the woman become enveloped in the same type of light which was shinning from the floor to his open palm and chasing shadows and customers from the small café.

At the same time Tenchi uttered her name, Ryoko's voice called to him. It wasn't the strong, boastful voice he was use to. This one was broken, weak, and practically clawed its way out of her throat.

The pale enemy cursed, and crumpled in pain. Threats of her return were the finale of her attack before rapidly disappearing to escape the amazing light and the incredible power of the spheres of energy circling around each member of the haphazard family.

"Tenchi?" Sakuya repeated, touching him gently on his sweater covered arm. The light had scared her, and for some reason, left a nasty taste in her mouth. As mysteriously as it had began to burn, it dissipated leaving those remaining confused and shook up.

Standing abruptly, the young man turned to his companion. His features were sickly, the usual glimmer of life had been drawn out of his brown eyes, and the blood was completely drained from his face. Tenchi grasped two identical objects in his hands with such force they bite into his soft flesh, and let the warm blood ooze from his fists.

"I have to go." He muttered before dashing out of the restaurant, and headed towards the nearest train station.

* * *

Later in the week, as the rain pattered down upon the upturned earth, grieving hearts came together as one to bid a friend good-bye. Kind words were spoken, flowers left as loving gestures, and everyone present was dressed in black. But it was all empty.

Last words were truly what they were said to be. They were the things people never knew they wanted to say till the person was no longer around to say them to. 'I love you', 'I forgive you', and 'I'll miss you' were all pointless phrases to say when you spoke them to the deaf, dumb, and blind.

Tenchi Masaki knew this fact all too well. God took his mother and his grandmother from him, while a brat, monster child took his best friend---the only one who ever understood him. Tears were plentiful, and regrets were ripe for the harvesting, but it was hollow and pointless to dwell on them now.

"Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka gently rested a concerned hand on his shoulder. Without an umbrella to protect him from the rain, Tenchi's clothes were thoroughly soaked. But it was to be expected; he had been standing in the steadily falling rain for over an hour.

He didn't spare her a glance, but kept his eyes on the tombstone in front of him. A rose dangled on his bandaged fingertips, it's fragile petals beaten and darken from the rain.

"I'm not ready to come in, yet." Tenchi stated simply. Slipping her hand off his shoulder, the Princess moved to his side holding an umbrella in her delicate hands. Minutes slipped by in a silent coat, the plopping sound of water meeting dirt filled the air as the two friends stood there.

"There was nothing you could have done." The ruby-eyed woman stated in a deep, serious tone.

Tenchi's eyes narrowed, another tear slipping out of the corner of his eye and trailing down his face. The last thing he wanted to ever hear was what Ayeka had to tell him.

"She—she was brave, and challenged that Yugi girl alone. All for selfish glory no doubt," Ayeka bit her lip harshly as the last words registered in her mind as one of those 'not-too-smart-things-to-say' phrases. Side glancing at her forlorn companion, Tenchi didn't give any reaction to her slip up, allowing her to continue and hopefully recover her folly. "Ryoko was---looked so peaceful, but---she said—"

The purple hair woman gulped, and decided the last thing Lord Tenchi needed to hear at the moment was Ryoko's final words chastising herself about breaking a promise.

"What did she say?" Tenchi demanded firmly.

"She said---" Ayeka paused, all of the child hood memories of being taunted by the dead woman, fussing and fighting over who would get Tenchi, came to her mind first. Willing her on to say the cruelest thing possible—the truth.

But as the words where about to trip off her tongue, the Princess bite them back. Good times. They had their good times, like when they framed Ryo-ohki for breaking the statue, or got Mihoshi out of their way only to have her crash land back to Earth again, or when they would oggle over the same 'chick-flick', the list went on and on. All the bitterness and contempt melted away when the woman realized she hadn't lost a rival, but a dear friend.

"—she loved you. Very much and that, she never broke her promise."

Tenchi flinched at the words, never feeling the sting of 'love' and 'promise' till they were just spoken. Squeezing his eyes shut, the Jurain prince tried with all his might to block the flood of tears waiting to spill from beneath his eyelids.

"Tenchi," Ayeka whispered, the rain pounding harder with every passing minute. "You should---she wouldn't want you to cry."

A deep grimace chiseled unto his features, turning, expecting to find a triumphant look on the Princess' face, Tenchi was taken back by the simple look of loss. No matter how many fights, the girls still cared for each other like everyone in the Masaki household cared for each other. It was the truth, and the truth was like last words, pointless. Pivoting on his heels to face the cold cement slab with his friend's name scribbled on it, Tenchi felt his heart shatter a bit more.

"Ayeka, I can't." Tenchi sobbed quietly, waiting patiently for a reply.

"But you'll get sick—"

"No, I won't. Just---let me cry." Looking over his shoulder, seeing her about to protest, he then softly added "By myself."

Hesitantly, Ayeka nodded, and left to go back towards the house. Knowing a fight for anything other than what he wanted at this point would be fruitless.

The woman disappeared into the gray mists steadily rising from the ground, creating gnarled and creeping ghosts with its colored air. Tenchi watched her silhouette turn to black, then restored his attentions to Ryoko, the one who never got enough of his attentions when she was real—-and with him.

Ayeka was a horrible liar.

Tenchi knew she had lied about what Ryoko said to them, because he was with the martyr the complete time. Not physically, but mentally. A bond that had yet to surface with anyone else in their family, it went beyond science and stretched into the soul. Feeling the pain of her breath, the warmth slowly seeping out of her as Ryoko was radiated in the sphere of light which led to triggering the other members' powers. She had given all she had to give, and for what?

To allow the living to be miserable facing the would ofs, could ofs, and should ofs? Oh what a great deed she had done! Giving up her precious life, sacrificing the one for the many. Ryoko left them with a cold and empty space within each of their hearts; a broken friendship time could not replace, heal maybe, but never replace. The pirate gave up her life so she could avoid this emotional torture!

"Honestly Ryoko, you can be so selfish!" Tenchi screamed out at the stone. The tears now flowing freely from his dark eyes, clenching his fists, the red rose was kissed with several spots of his blood. The thorns bit deeper into his half-healed flesh and white bandages.

"I--I'm sorry," he stuttered. "You did it because of me, didn't you? Protected them because of me." Something stuck in Maskai's throat, a thick unmoving ball of emotion choking him for every breath. The disgusting familiarity of how Ryoko must have felt, strangling on her own blood filled his mind, turning his stomach violently.

The blood stained rose, he placed to his lips and left a soft kiss upon its withering petals. Tenchi would blame it on the rain hitting down all around the flower, because only Ryoko would have known, known he was the one shaking, not the flower. Its unnatural shivering stilled once the plucked beauty was positioned on top of the upturned earth, and left there to accompany Ryoko in her eternal sleep.

Soon after, slowly descending the temple steps, Tenchi Masaki gazed up at the dreary spot. Four name markers, four people gone, four empty spots in his life with nothing but hope of seeing those four again to keep his tender heart from caving in completely.

The blood red rose crumpled as its blossomed head was crushed with the rain's probing fingers. Watching as the boy who had placed it there walked away, so he could no longer see the bloody tipped thorns, or the soft wind that sent it's fragrance dancing in the wind.

* * *

A month.

One solid month of her being gone, and three weeks since Tenchi moved back home. Leaving Tokyo wasn't as hard to do as the dark haired boy thought it would be. Of course Sakyua pouted and pleaded for him to stay with her, but without Ryoko at home, there was no one to protect the family---Ryoko being the example of what would happen if he wasn't there to protect the remaining members of his family---well, it wasn't going to happen.

But then came the hardest thing for anyone who had ever lost anyone to do. It was time to clean out Ryoko's room. Tenchi had tried to get out of it any way possible, but none of the others where 'up' to it. Ayeka had refused to go 'musing' through the pirate's things, Washuu had locked herself in her lab after the funeral, Sasami was out of the question, and the Galaxy Policewomen were gone to patrol the stars.

So the job was handed over to Tenchi. It took many tries for him to collect his courage just to open the door. Even with the cyan haired woman gone, the young man felt as if he was invading her privacy by coming in to her chambers without knocking. But the feeling was pushed down into the pit of his stomach, chastising his mind and heart if it dared to listen to the emotional foolishness.

The room was a complete mess. Dishes and magazines littered the floor along with her clothes and other odd belongings. He didn't want to do it, Lord knew he prayed for her to come back. Cleaning out her room, packing away her things seemed to be the final pen stroke in the pirate's chapter of life.

When all was said and done, it took exactly three boxes.

Only three boxes to tuck away the belongings Ryoko had for a lifetime. They weren't even big boxes, and the last one wasn't all the way filled. Ryoko's boxes were gingerly, tearfully placed along side Tenchi's mother and grandmother's things in the attic. Perhaps he was being a tad bit like the deceased woman, selfishly keeping a small possession of hers to help him keep his memory's of her alive.

Another month slipped by, and the routines set back in firmly. Ayeka, without anyone to bicker with, had fallen silent only speaking when spoken to, rarely offering conversation to anyone save for Tenchi and Sasami. Washuu emerged from her lab not too long ago, her bright green eyes filled with mischief as she rambled on about failure and more testing. The youngest Jurian princess still fouled up every now and then, cooking for one extra person by mistake, then pouting over the fact she'd forgotten. The other two were still spotty at the home, only coming for a few days then leaving without a good-bye. Yes, things and people were moving on.

Then why can't I stop thinking about it?Tenchi pondered, blinking dumbly at the open math book in front of him. Glaring at the numbers and letters he sighed wearily before shutting the book and pushing it further away from him. He'd been staring at the same page for the past hour, and his notebook paper was still untouched with a problem or an answer. Deciding studying anything was futile; the young man clambered out of his chair, and left his room.

With no clear destination in mind, Tenchi strolled slowly down the hall and tip toed down the steps. It was very late at night and who would want to be woken up by an insomniac Tenchi? Creeping along the carpeted areas, something made him go check on the girls. Something his heart told him to do---just to make sure they were safe.

Carefully, he slid the Jurians' bedroom door open, just enough to allow a sliver of light ribbon across the room. Ayeka and Sasami were safe, Tenchi realized happily, with a soft snore erupting from a third person he quickly added Ryo-ohki to the list. Washuu undoubtedly was safe within the confines of her lab, as she always seemed to be.

His feet once again set off, but this time, it was to an abandoned bedroom, slowly the young man opened the door...

One whiff of air dancing under his nose was all it took to send him into a whirlwind of emotions. Without being called, tears sprung to his eyes, all the walls and shallow hopes Masaki was finally moving on crushed under the simple scent of her which lingered even two months after her departure. He set one foot inside the gutted room, and suddenly everything came to life again within his mind.

It hadn't been there when he opened the door, but now---now it was everywhere. Over powering with it's spicy yet undertones of sweet smelling scent. Falling to his knees Tenchi could only stare with blurry eyes at the wooden floor beneath him. As his hands patted his chest trying to find his necklace. Fishing it out of his shirt, the boy gingerly opened the small locket.

Several small faces with bright eyes and friendly smiles looked back up at him. All of them separated into there own silver heart shaped frame. His hands began to shake as Ryoko's faint smile looked up at him through one of the pictures. Every one of the family members where inside the locket, even Ayeka.

It has been Ryoko's. He'd found it after they made him clean out her room. So wrapped up in horrible memories and feelings, Tenchi failed to notice the other presence until she spoke.

"She was my perfect creation."

"Washuu?" Tenchi's voice was just above a hoarse whisper. He hadn't seen the scientist in quiet some time. It was a pointless question her as he glanced over his shoulder at the distraught pink haired lady.

"She was perfect, everything about her physically was carved to perfection, the idealistic being." Washuu, who had been leaning on the doorway, moved to the now stripped and bare bed and sat down on it gently. "But there was always her personality."

Tenchi, though still hurt, moved beside the scientist, cupping his hands and resting his elbows on his knees, head bent and eyes partly open. Washuu very rarely used her real voice, it was always the higher, happier pitched voice of a child, but now the secrets were bared, the mother in her stepped out and was shaken with the loss of an only child.

"No matter how I tried, her personality and spirit eluded my touch, refused my ability to help it change. Therefore, she was wild, unruly, and above all—" Washuu sighed as if reminiscing, "had a will of her own."

It was completely true, no matter how much any one yelled or pleaded with her, Ryoko always stood on her own two feet and had things her way. Tenchi's lips quirked in a smile as he thought about his dearly departed friend, but then twisted back into a frown as he remembered that indeed she was departed—for good.

"She was always so protective, so—hard to understand. I had given her a puppy once, a long time ago. She loved that thing, named it Nagi. One day Nagi wandered off by herself and got killed by a little boy who thought it was funny to torture animals." Another pause, "so when she found out, she beat the boy almost to his death."

"Sounds like something she would do." Tenchi remarked sadly. The silence crept back into the room as it had done since its owner's departure. There was nothing left to do here. No on left to see. Only the night, and the eerie feeling of sadness hanging heavy on the floor and walls, coating the place thicker than the dust.

* * *

Christmas seem to come quickly that year and things seemed to once again become normal at the house. The lose was never forgotten, but lived with, as it had to be learned to do. There was no point in suffering about the past when no one could do anything about it now.

This at least, is what Tenchi clung to.

The majority of his family was still with him, and they still needed him to be strong. As the holiday drew near, the young man helped do the basics such as putting up the tree, keeping Ryo-ohki out of the tree since she liked to climb it and mew at everyone and other things.

"This is nice," Kiyone sighed one night, a cup of warm tea steaming in her hand. The group was gathered in the living room watching the American movie in subtitles of 'It's A Wonderful Life'.

"Why is it all in black and white?" Mihoshi asked.

"Because it's an old movie, and back then, they only could develop the film in black and white."

"Then how come the subtitles are in yellow?"

"Er..." Ayeka got stumped and sighed, giving up.

Tenchi smiled as his family continued to explain the movie to Mihoshi, and kept turning up the volume to hear the words over his father's snoring. Sasami excused herself to go fetch the teakettle so they didn't have to keep getting up throughout the movie.

It wasn't until the little girl came back and made an announcement that Tenchi's heart sank once again.

"Look everyone! It's snowing!"

While everyone else was thrilled and soon plastered themselves against the window to see the gently falling flakes, Tenchi slumped further into his chair. Anything besides a fact, which had bubbled up in his brain, would have been better for the pre-Christmas mood. Nevertheless, the memory of when he learned about this fact came to the surface, and said very simply,

"Ryoko hates the snow."

Tenchi quirked a smile, sad though it was, at the thought of how she begged him to make it stop. And how miffed Ryoko was when he said he couldn't do something like that. Or when at the last Christmas celebration, she had gotten drunk and tried to chase Ayeka around with a broom, only to end up smacking a plant with it.

But the broom, the plant, and Ryoko were no where to be seen. Well, maybe not, because as Tenchi found out, one could see Ryoko's new home from her own window. A disgusting thought, but it was the truth.

Tenchi bowed his head in defeat. So much for a holly-jolly Christmas.

* * *

They had decided long ago to leave him alone for the day. When it rolled around, all of the girls and the two men found excuses to leave Tenchi alone in the house. He didn't question them too harsh, nor did he listen to their replies with all his attention. Maskai wasn't an idiot; he knew what day it was.

It was her anniversary.

An exact year from the day Ryoko had died. Died trying to protect their family, died doing what he asked her to do, made her promise him to do. In the end, it was the promise that killed her.

He had moved on and had gotten over the fact. No, Tenchi came to terms with her death long ago, but something in his heart kept holding out. There was a secret it knew and giggled at simply because he didn't know what it was. Tenchi's heart wasn't telling him the secret, but it whispered other things. The other things he granted it.

That's how he ended up in front of her once polished piece of stone, with flowers in hand, and tears long ago dried. Bending down, he placed the fresh flowers on top of the older, dried ones. It was peaceful day, no howling winds, no beating rains, no blazing sun, nothing to draw his attention away from her. Not now at least.

There were things Tenchi knew he had to say, in all the time they spent together somehow there were things he didn't tell her. Too afraid of the reactions it would cause, afraid of splitting up the family. Now, now when it was too late did he know: a true family might bend, but the bonds could never break.

Dropping from his hunched position, to his knees the boy looked at the rock, and traced the name with his callused fingertips. Time, they always said Time was going to heal the pain, all Time did was make it harder to remember a person, yet it never dulled the feelings. The emotions where always just below the surface, waiting to be released should they ever be given the chance.

"Ryoko," Tenchi breathed as soft as the wind itself. There was no reply, no cyan haired girl turning to him and asking what he wanted, nothing, just like the weather.

"If you could, only---" Tenchi sighed, "I just wish I could talk to you somehow, tell me what I've got to do to get on with my life. To get over the fact I don't have you anymore."

Nothing.

"I guess it's silly to be here, talking to the earth, it's not like you can talk back." Tenchi smiled at the ground, "Which would be a first for you I suppose."

Still, nothing as he expected there to be.

"The others seemed pretty much recovered from losing you," he shook his head, "Why am I the only one still holding out? Why do I feel like there is going to be some miracle that will bring you back to me?"

The wind picked up, but no voice answered him.

Sighing heavily, the boy was resigned to the fact it was just hurting him more to keep dreaming like he had been. Thinking this was nothing more than a horrible dream, that in time he'd wake up and Ryoko would be fighting with the Princess yet again. No, he could not fool himself anymore. Ryoko wasn't coming back.

Tenchi muttered a small good-bye and turned to leave, but was stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hello, Tenchi."

It was her, or at least, it appeared to be.

"Come with me Tenchi," She pleaded. Looking into her golden eyes which were more mature and serious than he ever remembered. Her hand, outstretched towards him was trembling slightly. Ryoko was unsure?

"You're not real." The boy protested, Tenchi might have wanted one more chance, but now it was here, he didn't know how to react! "You're dead."

"No." Ryoko stated softly, never moving from where she stood. Something about her appeared different, it wasn't in the hair, or height, or weight. It was in her eyes. The golden colored 'windows' to her soul seemed to be more mature, less childlike, and more of a—lady? "I'm not dead, Tenchi. You must believe me about that."

Tenchi's head began to throb with pain and disbelief. He was there! When Ryoko had died the bond they somehow shared let him experience her pain in the mind, and then, then he went to her funeral! Tenchi clearly remembered seeing her peacefully laid in the wooden box before they shut it. She couldn't be real! He was insane with grief!

"You're dead!" He reiterated. "You're not real. You can't be."

"This is a nightmare, Tenchi, please, trust me." Ryoko pleaded, both hands reaching out to him now. "Please, hurry. There isn't much time."

The pain in his head grew, "Much time for what?"

"This world is falling in on itself." She clarified, but only confused the Masaki boy even more. "You have to come, or you'll be dead."

"I must already be, you're here." Tenchi couldn't remember how he died, but he had to be if Ryoko was standing before him. It seemed the only logical answer, and yet, his heart laughed louder.

"No," Her voice continued to sound more and more desperate, as thunderclouds rolled in from the west. "Don't you remember anything?"

"I remember---" Tenchi's head was about to burst, or so it felt like. Tears lined the bottom of his eyes, as he grasped both sides of his head. It hurt, there was something to remember, of this Tenchi was sure. He just did not understand what. "---you dying, at the hands of some KID." The last word was spat out.

Ryoko was held where she was, for she didn't come to his side as Tenchi was sure she would. "No, the KID, Yugi, didn't kill me. We all moved past that. Don't you remember Haruna?"

Haruna?

Yes, yes it did sound familiar. Was it a girl at his school? Maybe it was a friend of the girl who he had been dating, what was her name? Sak---something. He couldn't think. His brain felt overloaded, Ryoko was here, here wasn't real?

"You wanted another chance, didn't you my Tenchi?" Ryoko's approach changed from logical to emotional. "I want that second chance too. But I can't let you have it here."

Tenchi's thoughts started to collide and burned into his brain the torturous facts, which he didn't know if they were real or not.

"Come with me, and find out. If I'm already gone, then what do you have to loose by coming with me?" She looked so desperate, "Again?"

* * *

"I-I think he's coming through!" Ayeka breathed out in a plain relief. The purple haired girl stared down as the brown eyes of the Maskai boy slowly opened, squinting at the bright sunlight creating a halo around the girl.

There was a beat in his heart of hope, but it quickly became cold, as he didn't feel Ryoko's hand in his any longer. Had it been just some cold cruel nightmare? Did he slip at the gravesite and Ayeka found him passed out?

Reality would be so cruel, wouldn't it?

Groaning as he sat up, reaching a hand behind his head to rub a sore spot. He must have slipped and hit his head, there was even a slight bump forming on the base of his skull. Tenchi closed his eyes to keep the frustrated tears beneath his eyelids. The Princess of Jurai had seen him cry enough in the past to last her a lifetime, there was no need for her to see anymore.

He clambered to his feet, only to sway unsteadily when he felt a strong hand grab his forearm. Tenchi sighed and tried to shrug it off, but the hand held steady.

"Ryoko, this is all your fault!" Ayeka snapped.

Tenchi's breath caught in his throat. Either Ayeka was completely loosing it or---

"I'd like to see you jump realities and land perfectly." An angry, yet beautiful voice shot back. A voice he thought he'd never hear again. Cracking his eyes open to a slit, a fuzzy form in a dark top and wild turquoise hair came into sight. "You ended up on your face if I remember correctly!"

Ryoko, HIS Ryoko, was the one who was holding tightly to his arm. A flood of memories his him and his breath came out as if someone had punched him.

The girls' attention snapped back to the young man in their presence. "Tenchi?" The pirate asked warily. The boy groaned and started towards the ground, grabbing him around the waist, the woman was able to pull him to his feet once again. "Are you okay?"

"Oh course he isn't! You gave him a concussion!" Ayeka fumed under her breath.

"I—am now, Ryoko." It felt wonderful to him to be able to say her name again. The young woman's eyebrows shot up in confusion, "I—just want—to go home."

The pirate smiled and nodded, "I just want to go home too."

-- -- ----


End file.
